


How to (Not) Woo Your Kent

by blindinglights



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Flirting, Getting Together, Kent's a little oblivious, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:40:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21786103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blindinglights/pseuds/blindinglights
Summary: The thing - theproblem, more like - that Kent has is his mess of feelings for Tater. And add in his developing feelings for Snowy as well, and it’s just a recipe for disaster. On top of that, watching Tater and Snowy interact with each other always leaves Kent thinking there’s something more between the two of them. And even if there is, there’s also no way that both of them would be interested in him together. Separate, together, whatever - there’s just no way either of them would want Kent.
Relationships: Alexei "Tater" Mashkov/Kent "Parse" Parson/Dustin "Snowy" Snow
Comments: 9
Kudos: 74
Collections: Polya Epifest 2019





	How to (Not) Woo Your Kent

**Author's Note:**

  * For [procrastinationfairy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/procrastinationfairy/gifts).



> I hope you like this, giftee! I tried my best to go by what you asked for. 
> 
> Thank you to floral_docs for the beta!

It starts the first summer Kent decides to go to Providence during the off season to hang out with Jack and Bitty. He’s been back on speaking terms with Jack for a few years now, and friends with Bitty for a year now. It took a little longer for him and Bitty to be friends, but eventually something happened to where they just clicked and now Kent would say he’s closer to Bitty than he is with Jack. 

He packs his bags for a two week stay, makes sure Kit is comfortable at Swoops’ house, and then he boards his flight. Before he knows it, he’s in the guest room in Providence putting his stuff away. He can hear everyone out in the living room talking. They’ve got Snowy and Tater over, and Kent can clearly hear Tater’s laugh. It’s loud and infectious. 

Kent makes quick work of putting his things away and getting comfortable like Bitty told him to do when he got here. Once he’s done, he heads into the living room where Jack, Tater, and Snowy are standing around a pool table. Tater’s making friendly chirps at Jack, making Jack shake his head and laugh. 

“We play this every time,” Snowy says. “And every time we do, you always lose. You talk a big game, Tater, but you’re terrible at pool.”

“Tater can block a puck, but he can’t play pool,” Jack adds in, before hitting pool balls into the hole.

“I can play,” Tater says, grabbing the stick. “You see.” 

“Not sure Tater’s that good at blocking pucks,” Kent says. “I mean, last game my team played against you, I’m pretty sure the puck did more damage to Tater than him actually blocking anything. And I scored that goal ten seconds later.”

Tater hits the ball and sends it careening off the table. “You mess me up.”

“I think they said you’ve been terrible,” Kent says.

Tater shoves the stick in Kent’s hands. “You try, then.”

Kent flips around the stick in his hand, and surveys the pool table. He hits the que and manages to get three pool balls into the nearby holes. When he turns back around, he smirks at Tater and offers the stick back to him. Snowy quickly snatches it out of Tater’s hands, laughing, and manages to get a few more in. 

“Looks like you just suck,” Snowy says with a laugh.

“Terrible on the ice, and just as terrible at pool,” Kent chirps. 

“Oh, I show you,” Tater says, when he finally gets the stick back from Snowy. A few tries later, and Tater only manages to get one ball. 

\--

The thing - the _problem_ , more like - that Kent has is his mess of feelings for Tater. And add in his developing feelings for Snowy as well, and it’s just a recipe for disaster. On top of that, watching Tater and Snowy interact with each other always leaves Kent thinking there’s something more between the two of them. And even if there is, there’s also no way that both of them would be interested in him together. Separate, together, whatever - there’s just no way either of them would want Kent. 

Kent’s been dealing with his feelings for Tater for a few years now. And he’s pretty sure if he’s been dealing with it for this long, he can just continue dealing with it and put those feelings aside. And just do the same for Snowy, too. 

\--

Kent spends the first few days hanging out with Bitty. Jack and the rest of the Falcs that are still in town are doing a charity event for the team, so Kent and Bitty go shopping and running around Providence. They go for lunch out by the water and then they head back to the house to find Jack and Tater in the living room watching TV. They’re talking about the kids they were working with that day, but stop once they walk into the room. Bitty kisses Jack quickly on the lips before he heads up the stairs with his bags. A few moments later, Jack ends up excusing himself and following Bitty up the stairs. 

“So,” Kent says. “Have fun with the kids?” 

“Always have fun,” Tater agrees. “You have fun with B?”

Kent shrugs. “We went shopping, walked around down by the water, then had lunch at this little place on the beach Bitty said was good.”

“The place with the comfy chairs and the italian food?” 

“This was different. It was just sandwiches and really good margaritas.”

Tater hums. “That place good, too. But there’s different place nearby, has good pasta.” Tater smirks, leaning in a little closer to Kent. “Maybe I take you someday, I think you like it.” 

Kent swallows, but keeps his cool. “Yeah? You gonna take me to dinner?” 

“Maybe I take you out,” Tater says, and he looks like he’s going to lean closer and maybe say something more, but in that moment Jack walks back into the room. Tater moves away from Kent, leaning back into the couch cushions like nothing happened.

Kent doesn’t even fully understand what just happened. 

\--

Things get a little weirder after that. If Kent thought Tater possibly asking him out (Kind of? If that’s what that was) was weird, it’s even weirder to have Snowy’s attention fully on him. Nobody else has noticed anything, but Kent sure has. 

They’ve been hanging out in the backyard by the pool, and the entire time Kent’s been sitting on the couch, he’s felt Snowy’s eyes on him. Half the time Kent can feel himself being watched and he looks over at him, Snowy looks away like he’s trying not to get caught. There’s been a few times that Kent _has_ managed to catch his eyes, and Snowy manages a small secretive smile. And Kent doesn’t get it. 

It gets even weirder when Snowy eventually sits next to him and says, “You look like you need some company.” 

“Are you offering?” Kent asks,

Snowy grins. “Maybe.”

“You know,” Kent says. “I thought maybe you’d still be touchy with the whole running into you thing a few years back.”

Snowy shakes his head. “Nah, you didn’t mean it and at the end of the day it’s just hockey.”

“Still, man, I’m sorry about that.” 

“It’s okay,” Snowy says, bumping his shoulder against Kent’s. 

They continue talking for a little while. Eventually, Snowy shrugs out of his jacket and hands it over to Kent. He grabs it, saying a quiet thanks. 

“You know I can just go inside and grab my own jacket, right?” Kent asks.

“Yeah,” Snowy says. “But my jacket’s better.” 

Kent smiles down at the piece of clothing. He could easily hand it back, but it’s kinda nice. So he puts in on and they keep talking until Tater is peeking out of the sliding glass doors and telling Snowy that they need to get out of there.

\--

Kent’s not a hundred percent sure if he’s imagining things or what. But he’s pretty sure that both Tater and Snowy have been flirting with him, which has been weird. Good? Sure. But still weird, and still makes absolutely no sense to Kent. Every time one of them does anything that resembles flirting, Kent either tries flirting back or he’s just left staring off after them. 

He’s usually great at the whole flirting thing. Put him in a bar in Las Vegas with the team and he can smooth talk any hot guy who seems even remotely interested in him. But put him in front of two people he has feelings for? And he turns into goo. So they keep flirting with him, he’s more confused than ever, and he can barely string a sentence together to save his life.

He’s trying, though. 

\--

He’s not sure what he thought was even going to happen. Sure, he liked both of them and still does regardless. But they’re both clearly happy with each other, and Kent’s pretty sure at this point that all of that flirting he thought was happening before he found out was all imagined. Just his wishful thinking making him see things that weren’t really there. He just doesn’t see how it’s possible for them both to be truly interested in him and for things to work out fine in the end.

His visit continues on. But this time, when Tater and Snowy come over to visit Jack and Bitty and they all have dinner, it just feels like Kent’s a third wheel squared. He’s more aware of their interactions, and at the end of the night he’s just left feeling lonely and sad, and sitting in the corner of whatever room he’s in feeling sorry for himself.

By the halfway point of his visit, he realizes what he’s feeling. He’s pining away for two people he has no chance with. And it’s bordering on pathetic. 

He’s sitting on the deck, watching Snowy and Tater who are hanging out in the pool, when Bitty sits down next to him and says, “You okay, Parse?” 

Kent sighs, shrugging and looks over at Bitty. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t seem fine,” Bitty says. “Also it’s written all over your face.”

“What is?” Kent says, swallowing. He was hoping he wasn’t being that obvious, but looks like he did a poor job with it.

“You liking Tater,” Bitty says. “But you know they’re happy.”

“Yeah,” Kent agrees, because he can see it every day. “But it’s not just Tater. It’s both of them.”

Bitty _hmms_. “That makes things a little complicated. Or--”

“Or what?”

“Or you can make it not complicated and date them both.” 

“You don’t think I’ve thought about that?” Kent sighs. “I started to think maybe it was possible, but then--I don’t know, stopped.”

“You’ll never know unless you talk with them,” Bitty says. Bitty bumps his shoulder against Kent’s, motioning over at Tater and Snowy. “Be nice to yourself. Talk to them, give it a try.”

“I’ll think about it.”

\--

Kent thinks about it. He spends a whole day lazing around the house and thinks about it. By the time he sees Tater and Snowy again, though, he still hasn’t managed to talk himself into talking to them. So the first hour that they’re over, he just eyes them from afar and tries to talk himself into doing something.

He’s set to head back to Vegas in two days. So Jack and Bitty are throwing together a small party, which is only Kent, Jack and Bitty’s college friends, and Tater and Snowy. It’s a decently sized group, but not big enough that Kent can blend himself into the background. A few hours into the party finds him in the comfy chair that’s in their den. It’s not long after he’s settled in the chair that Tater and Snowy make their way into the room. For the longest moment, Kent just sits there quietly, occasionally looking over at the two of them. 

Eventually Tater says, “We bad at wooing.” Snowy snorts.

“Feel like that’s an understatement,” Snowy says.

“Okay, that’s true,” Tater agrees. “We the worst at wooing.”

 _Wait._ “Wooing?” Kent asks. “You were wooing me?”

Snowy grimaces. “We kinda went about it the wrong way.”

“Bitty told me to just talk to you,” Kent says. 

“We should’ve just talked to you in the beginning,” 

“Instead of all the flirting?” 

“Well,” Snowy says. “We did a little more than just flirting.”

“We gave you things,” Tater points out and Snowy nods.

“You gave me things,” Kent says slowly and then, oh. Oh yeah, he remembers them doing that. “But still, you were wooing me, but I had no idea. I mean, I knew you were flirting but that just left me confused.” 

“That’s why we’re saying we’re terrible at it,” Snowy says. “And want to say sorry.”

“And also want to know if you want to date us,” Tater says, smiling and wrapping an arm around Snowy’s shoulders. Snowy sighs, but he offers a sheepish smile. They both look nervous.

“You,” Kent starts and then just stops, staring at them. “You both want to date me. Together.”

“If you want,” Snowy tells him. “If you don’t, we’ll understand.” 

“No,” Kent says and quickly adds, “I mean, that’s what I wanted. I like both of you, was a little unsure at first if either actually liked me back. The flirting made me more confused and then I thought I was imagining it after I found out you were together. Even before that I wanted both of you.” 

“So you’re saying yes?” Tater asks hopefully. 

“Yeah, yes.” Kent grins. 

\--

A few hours later, they’re sitting on the couch on the deck cuddled together. Of course Kent gets not one, but both people he wants a few days before he’s set to head back to the other side of the country. And of course he’s not going to see them for months on end. 

Well, unless...

“You should come to Vegas sometime before the season starts,” Kent offers.

“Still a few months until then,” Snowy says. “We could make it work.”

There’s two months until either of them are required to be back with their teams, preparing for the season to start. So it’s definitely doable. 

“You show us good time in Vegas?” Tater asks. 

“Yeah,” Kent says. “But we could also drive out to Anaheim and go to Disney. Or there’s other stuff we could do.”

“Ooh, Disney,” Snowy says. “We could make a weekend out of it, and stay out on the beach.”

They start planning out their vacation, with Kent mentioning more ideas for things they could do. But Tater and Snowy seem dead set on Disney and beach time, so he’s pretty sure that’s what they’ll end up doing. He doesn’t mind at all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
